Not bad for $24.

May 18, 2009

by angelodignacio

Rating:

+3

After moving into a new apartment, I went around town looking for deals on new appliances and furniture that I would be able to use. I came across this grill at Big Lots for a ridiculous price of $24. How could you beat that? After a walk through around the store, I decided to pick one up and take it home. I figured for $20, it was a risk I was willing to take - especially considering that if it turned out great, I would have scored on a nice new grill right as summer makes its way in.

Below are some nice key points you should know about the BBQ Grates grill that I purchased recently.

The Good:

-Price: I have never before seen a grill this size go for as little as $20. I was very impressed with the display unit on the floor, and from what I saw, the grill was in decent shape. The steel was strong, finished and tempered - covered in a fresh black paint that you would expect to find on the more expensive grills like Coleman or Fire Magic. The bars that held the grill up were sturdy, and even came with wheels to easily move around. At first glance, I figured this particular grill would have cost as much as $30 or $40.

-Size: The patio space I have at my apartment is pretty small, and so the size of this grill was perfect. The hinged top really makes it useful as you no longer have to worry about where to place a huge burning lid when checking on your food. The actual cooking space is not big enough that the grill looks bulky, but just enough for you to place a whole round of burgers for your friends and family. What is also neat is that the grill stands at about 3 feet tall, keeping cooking easy (for somebody as tall as me) and storing neat.

The Bad:

-Assembly: This grill comes in a package that is the size of your average cable box. The manufacture managed to squeeze and cram all of the pieces into the smallest packaging available, creating a mess of assembly troubles. The directions for the grill were rather unhelpful, as directions on putting together the grill were not as detailed as they needed to be (illustrations, only!) Even worst, no tools were provided to assemble the grill together. So when I was so excited to come home with a new grill, not to mention with burgers to slap right on as soon as I got it up and running - my spontaneous bbq didn't happen until days later, when I had managed to find the energy AND the right tools to get things going.

-Parts quality: Of course, one would think that for $24, you shouldn't expect much from a grill such as the one I found. And so as expected as it was, it shouldn't be a surprise that the quality of the parts fall onto the less brighter side of this review. Unlike the metal grills of more expensive units, this bbq had a grill tray that was pretty weak. The grill looked as if the wires were just a bit thicker than the kind of wires you see on dry cleaner hangers. In fact, I was conscious about the weight of what I was cooking thinking that I might make the grill collapse with all that I was putting on to cook. Also, the space of the wires on the grill are pretty wide. I cooked some korean bbq ribs the other day, and there were numerous times when a rib managed to slip right in between the wires and into the charcoal - what a waste of meat! This even happened when I was flipping a burger that seemed to get through and into the fire as well. Never before have I had to be extra careful about losing food to the grill's fire because of wide spaces on the cooking wires.

Overall:

And so, the $24 BBQ Grates grill from Big Lots had its day. The other night, I had friends over and put it to the test on how well it could handle the needs and demands of my hungry guests. I must say that for what I paid for this thing, it was definitely worth it. It isn't the best grill, as I lost some ribs and a patty to the widely spaced wires, not to mention the headache I got from assembling this thing off a diagram that had no words, just illustrations. But considering the small space I have for a summer appliance as well as the nice look it gives my apartment patio, I'm not hating. If you're on a budget, and on the need for a low-cost bbq grill, or even a summer gift for a friend, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one!

I'm a Filipino-American living life as a post undergrad making a start here in beautiful Los Angeles. I love the weather and diversity here and enjoy everything this city has to offer. I'm excited to … more